Ancelotti plays down title talk
March 9, 2011 - 0:0
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has dismissed talk of a late charge towards the Premier League title despite capitalising on slip-ups by rivals Manchester United and Arsenal.
The reigning champions beat Blackpool 3-1 at Bloomfield Road to move within nine points of league leaders United, with a game in hand and a match at Old Trafford to come.John Terry put the Blues ahead in Lancashire, before a Frank Lampard brace midway through the second half sealed all three points.
But Ancelotti refused to get carried away with the result, and insisted his team were focusing only on their March 20 clash with top-four rivals Manchester City.
""The game was not easy. Blackpool were in the game until we scored the penalty and also at the end they were pressuring us a lot and we could not relax,"" Ancelotti said.
""Our performance was good in general, we showed some good football and we deserved to win.
""Our aim at this moment is to stay in the top four. We are closer to Manchester United but we have to prepare for the next game and prepare game by game.
""Now we have nine points and another game (in hand) against Birmingham but it is too far to think we can come back in to fight for the title.
""To take it game by game is easier for us.""
Blackpool boss Ian Holloway bemoaned the decision by referee Mike Dean to award Chelsea a penalty, from which Lampard netted his first just after the hour mark.
""I've watched it again and he (Salomon Kalou) couldn't wait to go down, that is this level,"" he said.
""The minute Ian Evatt even thought about going for it Kalou couldn't wait and the referee couldn't wait to give it but he has actually played the ball eventually.
""It shows the quality they have got. We are a bit sore because we didn't feel we deserved that, we deserved to be less than two goals away from them.
""We needed something to give us a bit of belief, we needed the second goal in the game but unfortunately they got it.""
(Source: Eurosport)